The New York Yankees refused to give Juan Soto a free VIP suite at Yankee Stadium during blockbuster contract negotiations that ended with him signing for the rival Mets, it has been revealed.
Soto this week signed the largest contract in sports history, switching the Bronx for Queens on a 15-year, $765m deal with the New York Mets.
It has been reported by multiple outlets that the Yankees had $760m on the table but their 2024 superstar opted instead to sign with their rival – and another potential reason for the U-turn has now been revealed.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees balked at Soto’s request for a free VIP suite at Yankee Stadium, something the Mets were more than happy to oblige.
In fact, it has been claimed that Mets owner Steve Cohen ‘didn’t think twice’ about accepting as he tried to get the generational talent onto his already-talented roster.
At Citi Field, suites cost between $3,250 and $13,000 for a single game, per the Post, meaning they could be handing Soto up to another $1million for free per season.
Juan Soto reportedly asked for a free VIP suite at Yankee Stadium – but was turned down
Mets owner Steve Cohen (pictured) was more than happy to oblige and ‘didn’t think twice’
Across the river at Yankee Stadium, the likes of Aaron Judge are still forced to pay for VIP suites for their families each game, and owner Hal Steinbrenner did not want to set a precedent by allowing Soto to bypass the rules.
According to Heyman, the Yankees were willing to offer Soto a discount, but would not go the whole hog and gift him the suite for nothing.
In the end, Soto opted to turn down the Yankees’ $760m offer and signed with the Mets for $765m – and the aforementioned free VIP suite.
He will join a stacked line-up vying for a first ever World Series title in 2025, including Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, Mark Vientos and Starling Marte.
Incredibly, with Soto’s 15-year deal he will actually be pulling down $4.25 million every month, nearly $1 million a week, roughly $140,000 a day, $6,000 an hour and almost $100 every single minute over the duration of the agreement.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner reportedly didn’t want to set a precedent with Soto’s suite
Earlier this year, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift sat in one of Yankee Stadium’s VIP suites
A bevy of amateur accountants did the math on social media after reports of the deal first surfaced, although exact figures did differ somewhat because Soto’s deal can escalate to as much as $805 million with incentives, a source told the AP.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement, first reported by the New York Post, was subject to a successful physical.
Soto’s agreement is the largest and longest in Major League Baseball history, topping Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal signed last December. That agreement included $680 million in deferred payments and is valued at just under $46.1 million annually for baseball’s luxury tax.
Soto’s agreement does not include deferred money, the person said, leaving its average annual value at $51 million. Its length tops Fernando Tatis Jr.’s $340 million, 14-year contract with San Diego that runs through 2034.
